Study suggests seniors struggle with expenses

Seniors in Burke County and across the state are struggling to make ends meet with housing and medical expenses taking up a large portion of their costs, says a new study that establishes the Elder Economic Security Standard Index.

Wider Opportunities for Women and University of Massachusetts Boston Gerontology Institute developed the methodology, which measures what it takes for seniors to cover their basic living expenses. The index includes the costs of housing, food, transportation and health care.

“This new report confirms our concerns that seniors in North Carolina are living without economic security in every corner of the state,” said Jim Moore, president of the North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans. “From Raleigh to Asheville and everywhere in between, older residents are scrimping and saving just to get by. We’ve become a state where people can’t afford to grow old.”

A person over the age of 65 without a mortgage in Burke needs $17,052 annually to meet basic living expenses. A couple without a mortgage needs $27,936.

A senior renting a bedroom needs $20,304, while a senior couple renting need $31,188.

Seniors with mortgages need $24,252 for one person or $35,136 for a couple.

Those costs go up if seniors need home- or community-based long-term care, which can range from an additional $6,984 to $38,640 per year depending on the hours of care needed per week.

People over the age of 65 make up 16.1 percent of Burke’s population according to the 2010 Census. The average county Social Security benefit in 2011 for an elder person was $13,579 and for an elder couple was $22,040.

In North Carolina, 98 percent of those over 65 receive Social Security and it is the only source of income for one-third of seniors in the state, according to the WOW study. About 10 percent of the state’s seniors live at or below the federal poverty level.

People over the age of 60 make up 85 percent of the regular clientele of the adult services unit at the Burke County Department of Social Services said Becky Harbison, adult services supervisor. Their income ranges from $698 to $1,372 per month.

“Many consumers that we are in contact with could not surive if it wasn’t for food stamps, subsidized housing, Medicare/Medicaid, Low Income Energy Assistance and other forms of outside assistance,” said Harbison.

Since October, DSS has helped 420 seniors with heating emergencies through the Crisis Intervention Program, reports Tracey Kincaid eligibility services program administrator.

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program has helped approximately 240 seniors with heating costs since December, Kincaid said. The program’s funds for the fiscal year ran out Monday.

More than 800 seniors receive food and nutrition services (formerly food stamps) through DSS, and more than 2,000 receive Medicaid, said Kincaid.

Burke County Senior Services Director Philip Adams said his staff sees seniors struggling, and those numbers have increased in recent years.

The senior center has seen people who are qualifying for the low income subsidy of Medicare Part D, said Adams. Other seniors approach the department to help find affordable housing.

Some seniors are finding that their income is just above the poverty level so they don’t qualify for low-income benefits, said Adams.

The department also delivers food to seniors through its Meals on Wheels program. The program usually has a waiting list, as the program can only serve about 140 people at a time, Adams said.

With half the fiscal year gone, the program has already used 53 percent of its budget because the cost of meals has gone up, although the demand hasn’t, said Adams.

Local agencies have taken note too, Adams said.

“There are a lot of good agencies that are doing a lot of good,” said Adams. “There’s certainly more that can be done, but those in the industry are working really hard to try to work with the resources they have.”

DSS Director Dorraine Hernandez said, “It is goign to take a dedicated community approach to assure that this population is well cared for.”